LONDON, Aug 24: Despite the recent controversy and the reservation expressed by Prime Minister I K Gujral, according to The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, the Queen will visit Amritsar. The paper said that the British and Indian officials ``have agreed a formula to enable the Queen to visit Amritsar without having to make an apology for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.'' The Queen will not apologise for the massacre, but she will spend time at the site. She is to lay a wreath and observe a minute's silence as a mark of respect.The paper quoted a Buckingham Palace official saying that the publicity surrounding the visit to Amritsar had put the process of finalising the programme on hold. The official said, ``It would be very difficult for her not to go now," and added, ``Monarchs don't apologise for something that happened nearly 100 years before. There is no precedent for it.''

A Palace spokesperson said on Sunday that the newspaper report was ``somewhat premature''.

He added that the details of the Queen's visit were yet to be finalised. She said that the Queen would be following the advice of the Indian government and the foreign office.

In an interview to The Observer newspaper last Sunday Gujral indicated that it had been suggested that the Queen skip Amritsar, given the strong feelings aroused by those who feel the British owe India an apology for Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Sikh leaders in Britain and India, however, said that this was neither here nor there.

They said they would welcome the Queen to Amritsar and the Golden Temple. Subsequently, the Prime Minister had said that the Queen was free to go wherever she wanted.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.